The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus which displays a map and indicates a present position on the map, to support a drive of a moving body such as an automobile.
In conventional navigation apparatuses, a color scheme of a map, characters, etc. (which are displayed using multiple colors) is determined in advance on a picture-by-picture basis, and information representing the color scheme is stored in advance together with map information in a CD-ROM or a ROM of the navigation apparatus when it is manufactured. That is, the color scheme of images to be displayed (e.g., maps) is fixed.
Although the color scheme is previously prepared with sufficient consideration of legibility, actually it is not always satisfactory. This is due to the following reasons. While preparation of the color scheme of information to be displayed (e.g., map information) has a subject of providing a legible picture using a smaller number of colors, there exists almost no scheme which everybody feels to be sufficiently legible. It should be considered that printed documents etc. also provide image information using various schemes. For example, red may be used on one hand to indicate dangerous areas, and on the other hand just to draw attention irrespective of danger. Therefore, a person who is in favor of one scheme may feel a sense of incongruity in another scheme. Further, color preference differs from one person to another. As a result, practically, it is impossible to provide a color scheme which is acceptable to a large number of users.
There is another problem. If characteristics of a display device actually used is different from those of another display device used when a color scheme was prepared for information to be displayed, a color tone will deviate from an expected one, and the original scheme, which was prepared to provide enough legibility, will not be effected properly.